Help this site to grow by sending a friend an
invitation to visit this site.

CFD News by Email

Did you know that you can get today's CFD Review headlines mailed to your inbox?
Just log in and select Email Headlines Each Night on your User Preferences page.

Hanley Releases Wing-Tail Aerodynamics Calculator

Posted Tue July 08, 2003 @03:01PM

Hanley Innovations, a small business specializing in aerodynamics and fluid dynamics software development for education and industry, announced today the release of Dr. Hanley’s Aerodynamics: The Wing-Tail Calculator.

The Wing-Tail Calculator was developed using a vortex lattice (vortex rings) CFD method. The program is quite powerful and yet easy-to-use.

Wing-Tail can be used to:

Compute lift-drag coefficients for an isolated wing

Compute lift-drag coefficients for a wing-tail system

Determine neutral points for wing-tail system

Compute trim angle

Compute the aerodynamic coefficients at the trim angle

Simulate ground effect

The Wing-Tail Calculator might also be used to model the lift and vortex drag on a keel-rudder system or perhaps a double sail configuration. In these applications, however, one half of the wing-tail will model the actual device while the other half can model a surface image. (note: no explicit calculations are made in the software for this modification).

Wing-Tail accepts the following inputs for both the wing and tail: span, taper, sweep (forward and back), airfoil (just 4) and angle. The tail can be placed at arbitrary locations along the x-axis. The user must also enter the center of gravity location, profile drag at Cl=0, airplane weight & speed and whether or not to include ground effect in the calculations.

Wing-Tail can be used as an educational aide for learning about 3-d wings, induced drag, sweep, taper and longitudinal stability. It has 4 different airfoil for experimentation purposes. It is perfect for an introductory aerodynamics course, flight dynamics or aircraft conceptual design.